I Made Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding and Now It’s 1 of My Go-to Desserts
TL;DR:
- Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding is now a go-to dessert.
- Most, if not all, ingredients are in the pantry making the dish simple to make.
- Possible change: Adjust the sugar content to make Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding less sweet.
Brownie Pudding from Ina Garten is now a permanent fixture in my personal list of go-to desserts. Yes, in my humble opinion, it’s that good. Ahead, see why making it at home, and sadly not in the Barefoot Contessa’s East Hampton barn, had me sold. Plus, what I’d do differently.
Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding was a last-minute addition to a family dinner
Let me preface this by saying I’m not on Garten’s level when it comes to entertaining. For that matter, is anyone besides maybe Blake Lively or Martha Stewart?
I don’t have her party hosting tips down but what I do have is a somewhat stocked kitchen pantry. And, as I discovered one night, that’s all I needed to make her chocolatey dessert.
I whipped up Garten’s Brownie Pudding for a family dinner and couldn’t believe just how simply and easily it came together. It’s what the Food Network star’s known for but it still gets me every time I make one of her dishes.
I went from throwing a few things in a bowl to hearing the satisfied silence that only comes with children eating dessert in just over an hour. And it didn’t require a mad dash to the grocery store or forking over cash for food delivery.
Ina Garten Brownie Pudding likes and dislikes, from sifting dry ingredients to adding water to the pan
Now for the nitty gritty, what I liked and didn’t like about Garten’s Brownie Pudding. First and foremost, the simplicity of the dish made it convenient. One glance at the ingredient list (via Food Network) and I knew I had (almost) everything.
At least, all of the necessary ingredients. I had cocoa powder, flour, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract. And, most importantly, the time (60 minutes exactly) to bake it. Whereas I didn’t have the optional add-ins including vanilla ice cream and framboise liqueur.
Then there were the steps to make it. They weren’t much more than putting the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls before combining them.
Now for the dislikes. I know Garten and just about every other celebrity chef recommends sifting ingredients but it got a thumbs-down from me. Not because I don’t think it works. I learned the hard way it does (I found a few tiny lumps of flour in the cooked pudding.). But because it added an extra step and another dish to the clean-up process.
Another equally necessary step I didn’t enjoy? Adding hot tap water to the dish for a water bath. It took a few minutes to dig through the pots and pans. Again, my kitchen isn’t organized like Garten’s) to find one that would sit inside the other.
Final thoughts on Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding: Substitutions and tweaks
Confession: I didn’t follow the recipe exactly like Garten’s known to do. I used what I had on hand.
For instance, the Go-To Dinners author recommended using “really good cocoa powder” when she made the dessert on Barefoot Contessa. Her good ingredient recommendation? Pernigotti cocoa powder.
I, on the other hand, used Hershey’s cocoa powder. And, spoiler, it worked out just fine. Additionally, I opted for vanilla bean paste instead of scraping the inside of a vanilla bean. Again, because it’s what I had. However, I did use Nielsen Massey, Garten’s preferred storebought vanilla extract brand.
That’s not all. I also used dairy free butter to accommodate dietary restrictions. And, once again, the substitution worked. Garten’s Brownie Pudding tasted great and no one was the wiser.
Final thoughts: The dish is sweet. As someone who loves chocolate, it’s my kind of dessert. However, for those who prefer something lighter, I recommend lightening up on the sugar.
Now in the thick of the holiday season, Garten’s Brownie Pudding has me at ease. I know I can make a gooey, chocolatey dessert with a few ingredients in just over an hour. As Garten says, how easy is that?
